Eyewitness account of devastation in Haiti
One of the saddest and most dramatic messages ever received by the Oblate superior general in Rome came from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, yesterday, sent by Fr Gasner Joint omi, province leader, using the last remaining power in his laptop.
The 123 Oblates working in Haiti are no strangers to hardship and poverty in this the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, but nothing could have prepared them for the devastation caused by the earthquake.
The Oblate provincial offices building in Port-au-Prince (pictured above) is typical of buildings throughout the city.
Good morning, Father General,
I am using what is left of the battery charge on my laptop to write you this message. You have certainly learned that on Tuesday, 12 January 2010, at 4:53 p.m., a violent earthquake (magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale) passed through Haiti and has practically destroyed the city of Port-au-Prince.
Most of the big buildings have collapsed. The provincial house was seriously damaged and the new construction (the annex) has collapsed.
The scholasticate has also caved in. Two formators (Frs. Muscadin and Almonor) as well as two scholastics who were there (Ronel and Johnny), and Fr. Jean-François Printemps who was visiting there, are safe and sound.
The other scholastics were at a conference at CIFOR, being presented by a Brazilian doctor. The CIFOR building collapsed and the conference presenter died, as well as an Oblate scholastic, Weedy Alexis, and a Spiritan scholastic, Stéphane Dougé. Presently, the minibus of the Montfortain scholastics is blocked under the debris, with 14 passengers aboard, 9 of them Montfortains. They can do nothing, up to this point, to rescue them. One of them is alive for his voice can be heard and they are talking with him, but that is all that can be done.
It's a catastrophe, total devastation in Haiti. Since Wednesday evening, the inhabitants of Port-au-Prince have been sleeping under the stars, as do we, for there are aftershocks from time to time. Everyone is afraid and we do what we can to take precautions.
The means of communications have been cut off and we can't access information. With a bit of luck, the telephone might work. I have not yet been able to communicate with our confreres in the province.
There is neither electricity nor water at the provincial house, and no internet. I imagine that the situation is the same just about everywhere in Port-au-Prince.
Yesterday, Father Loubeau and myself had to make our way to the scholasticate. Everywhere there is crying, weeping and wailing. The streets are piled high with dead bodies.
There were other collapsed buildings: the Port-au-Prince archbishop's residence, the National Palace, the Cathedral, Sacred Heart church, the Major Seminary at Turgeau, the Major Seminary for philosophy at Cazeau, the Episcopal church of the Holy Trinity and several other large churches and schools, Catholic and Protestant.
It was only yesterday morning that they were able to retrieve the remains of Mons. Joseph Serge Miot, Archbishop of Port-au-Prince. The Vicar General is still under the debris: they no longer hear his voice. A professor at the Major Seminary at Turgeau and three seminarians were trapped inside the seminary. No one can hear them.
Up to this point, they have named eight dead among the seminarians of Cazeau. (But the Oblates at Blanchard and Sibert have been spared).
Some aid arrived yesterday morning from the United States, France and the Dominican Republic. But they cannot do much because there are still the aftershocks. They are saying that the aftershocks should end by Friday evening.
The deceased Oblate scholastic had to be buried yesterday afternoon together with the Spiritan, in the courtyard of the Spiritans (their church and their house were also destroyed). There is no functioning morgue. There is still no help. This morning at 8 o'clock, we are going to have a funeral service together with the Spiritans.
The destruction has been immense. It's not yet possible to estimate figures, even though the Prime Minister has spoken of about 100,000 deaths. The total is much worse than that for there are still the wounded, the disappeared and the material damage.
Several priests, brothers and religious women are unaccounted for.
This was simply an attempt to describe for you what we are experiencing. Because I must hurry so as not to use up the battery, you can understand that I am unable to tell you everything.
Thank you for your understanding and your solidarity.
We know that you are thinking of us and that you are lifting us up in prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our helping mother.
Fr. Gasner Joint, omi
Port-au-Prince, 14 January 2010